Read Online Small-Town Girl by Jessica Keller - Free Book Online Page B

this conversation? Now she’d have to finish, or think of something to say, because the way Brice was leaning forward with his eyebrows raised left little room for anything else. She sucked in some lake-tinged air. “Did something happen between your brother and Claire Atwood?”
    He fumbled his water bottle before setting it onto his desk. “What makes you ask?”
    â€œNo real reason.” Besides the strange way they both acted yesterday.
    Brice lowered himself into his desk chair. He leaned back, the metal squeaking. “Are you interested in Evan?”
    â€œOh no.” She shook her head. “It’s not like that at all.”
    â€œBecause if you are...” He adjusted his seat to lean forward. “I’m going to tell you right now that he’s not interested.”
    â€œBrice!” She dropped the lid to the water bottle. It bounced on the floor before rolling into Brice’s shoe. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
    â€œThen why did you ask?” He rested his elbows onto his desk. “When we first met, you told me you dated a lot. Evan’s my little brother and—”
    â€œIn the past, yes, I have.” Why was he even bringing that up? She should never have told him about her past. Now Brice thought she had her cap set on his brother and of course he was going to try to save Evan from the woman he considered a serial dater. After the nice time they’d spent together, Brice thought she was capable of using his brother? That hurt. “But that’s not who I am any longer and that’s not what this is about.”
    â€œWhat happened in your relationships?” He pursed his lips before adding, “Why didn’t any of them stick?”
    Mental note: don’t prod Brice for answers, because he only comes back with even tougher questions.
    Kendall worked her jaw back and forth. How much should she tell him? “If you have to know, I’ve always been the one to break up with the guy. It just...” She shrugged and looked away.
    â€œJust what?”
    Fine. She’d give him the truth, because then everything would be out in the open and he’d know that she was only interested in friendship with both him and his brother. Saying something painful now would alleviate the need for an awkward conversation later—the conversation that eventually happened anytime she pursued a friendship with a man. The one where they tried to veer things onto a romantic path, a path she couldn’t walk with a man on, no matter how much she wanted to.
    â€œI think I always wanted to see if I was worth fighting to keep.” She stared down at where her fingers laced together and then added in a small voice, “Apparently I’m not.” Tears burned against her eyes, begging to be released. She swiped at her face, trying to compose herself.
    When she met his gaze again, Brice was studying her in an open way.
    Why had she phrased her answer that way? Now he pitied her and she didn’t want that. She’d only wanted him to know that she was damaged goods when it came to relationships. To shut the door on any possibility of something growing between them that she’d never be able to follow through on. And she needed to, because she already felt a pull toward him...a desire to get to know him more and spend time with him. But if he pursued her, she’d wind up hurting him or breaking up with him when the relationship started to feel too real—too lasting. She’d run before he could.
    Evidently she was like her father that way. The realization stung.
    Brice rubbed his jaw. “Ken—”
    His phone interrupted whatever he was going to say. Instead of picking it up, Brice glared at his telephone as if it were a monster in need of slaying.
    â€œI can leave if you want to answer that.” Kendall grabbed her water bottle and started to stand.
    Brice motioned for her to sit back down and then he